Wouldn't Have it Any Other Way
by baseballfan44
Summary: Don witnesses something interesting in the ER on Christmas Eve. Minor, minor Don-whump.


A/N: I know Don's been exploring his Jewish roots and all, but in this story he and his family are celebrating Christmas. Here's just a little Christmas-themed story, and I hope everyone enjoys. Also, I know nothing about emergency room procedures (because I've never had to go to one) or if situations with long waits like this ever happen, so if not I'm taking a little creative license. Oh well, enjoy! Feedback is appreciated.

This story isn't beta-read, so mistakes my own.

Disclaimer: Don't own Numb3rs. Wish I did, but as the Rolling Stones said, you can't always get what you want.

**Wouldn't Have it Any Other Way**

December 24, 2009  
4:23 PM  
Los Angeles, CA

"FBI, freeze!" called Special Agent Colby Granger. As per usual, his quarry failed to obey his command. Colby wasn't surprised. Nine times out of ten when Colby, as was required by FBI protocol, commanded a suspect to stop running, they kept running. This time was no different, and Colby, heaving a sigh, began to give chase. He chased for a full thirty seconds, around the corner of the alley and back onto the street; to the end of the block and around the corner again. Luckily, Colby knew something his quarry did not know. Colby knew that his boss, Special Agent Don Eppes, was waiting just around the corner.

However, the suspect, one Richard Lee, must have been anticipating the FBI's sudden tag-team. As soon as Lee spotted Agent Eppes, he grabbed the other man's arm. Twisting it so the agent's gun fell to the ground, Lee then gave an extremely firm kick to his chest before continuing his run. The kick was strong enough to send Agent Eppes sprawling in an ungraceful heap on the ground. The minor attack on Agent Eppes created enough of a pause, though, for Colby to catch up. Tackling the suspect to the ground, Colby wrenched Lee's arms behind his back and secured them with a pair of handcuffs. Colby yanked Lee off the ground and led him back to where his fellow agent kneeled, doubled over in pain.

"Don, are you okay?" Colby inquired.

Gasping for breath, Don managed to croak out, "Yeah, Colb. I'm fine. Just got the wind knocked out of me, is all."

"EMTs are on their way," Colby said. Of course, Don knew that. He had been the one to call him a couple minutes ago when two civilians were shot, thankfully not fatally, in a bank hold-up three blocks away. Lee had been the shooter, just one of three men involved in the robbery. They had taken ten people hostage, including four bank employees, and after shots were fired, Lee had fled the scene. Colby was the first one to spot him in the alley. Before commanding Lee to freeze, he had informed his team of the location. Don radioed that he would be waiting around the street corner. "Maybe they should take a look at you?" Colby suggested.

Don, still breathing heavily, glared at Colby but didn't argue. "Fine," he said. "But I don't need to go to the hospital or anything."

"I didn't say anything about a hospital," Colby said. _Of course Don, I know better than to suggest that._

* * *

5:30 PM

Don's plan of not going to the hospital was a huge failure. The EMT had taken one look at his chest and told Colby that Don really should get a chest x-ray. It hurt, but Don really didn't think his ribs were broken. Cracked at the most. But the EMT had the good sense to tell not Don, but Colby to have Don see a doctor. So Colby put Don in the capable hands of Liz Warner and Nikki Betancourt, which meant there was really no way of getting out of it. If Don were alone with either Nikki or Liz, he could have maybe bribed them into just driving him to his apartment, but with both of them teamed up against him, there was no way Don was getting out of this.

So there he was, sitting in the ER waiting room with Liz and Nikki on either side of him. He sighed, irritated. If he had to be there, he wished he could at least hurry up and get looked at. But since there were people with real life-threatening injuries who took priority, Don knew he was in for a long wait. Stealing a glance at Nikki on his left and Liz on his right, he knew that they were starting to get a little antsy as well. They'd been there for forty-five minutes already, just waiting for Don to be looked at. He felt bad. It was a good evening ruined for them. They could be out, having fun, but no. They were there with him.

"Sorry guys," he said, breaking the silence. "This probably wasn't how you planned to spend your evening."

"Not exactly," Liz agreed. "But it's okay. I've had much worse Christmas Eve's in my lifetime. Much worse."

Don furrowed his brow. _Oh man. How did I forget that it's Christmas Eve?_ That detail had slipped by him completely unnoticed. He checked his watch and realized he was supposed to be at Charlie's in two hours. They'd have a nice, quiet Christmas Eve with him, Robin, Charlie, Amita, and his dad. Tomorrow, they'd have Don's team over for a big Christmas dinner. At this rate, though, Don figured they'd be lucky to make it in time for dinner tomorrow, let alone tonight. Not that Don was that hungry. The throbbing in his chest took away from the growling in his stomach.

Don's attention was diverted by a new threesome that sat down across from them. A frazzled-looking young woman was dressed in a red sweater with a jolly-faced Santa Claus printed on the front and faded blue jeans; her brown hair falling out of the loose knot at the top of her head. A silent boy, around ten or eleven, sat in the seat beside her. The boy looked completely devoid of any emotion, as if he were hiding the disappointment of a traditional Christmas Eve ruined by a trip to the emergency room. They were accompanied by a younger boy around six years old, Don figured. The younger boy was likely the reason for the impromptu road trip to the hospital. He sat in the woman's lap, tear-stained face buried in his mother's chest right into Santa's red hat. His left arm was cradled in his lap, but Don could make out the bright red tone to his skin, likely the result of a second degree burn.

The scene greatly intrigued Don, although he wasn't entirely sure why. The younger boy was clearly miserable and scared. His mother stroked her free hand through his unruly blond curls, attempting to comfort him. The older boy sat stoically next to them, staring intently at a spot on the floor. Don remained silent and pretended not to watch the family across from him; this was a skill he had picked up from years in the FBI.

"Shh, it's all right, Noah," the mother said. She was clearly worried and stressed, but Don noted she was very good at keeping her emotions hidden from her children. "I know it hurts, but we're going to have a doctor make you feel all better, okay? Then we'll go home and we can put out milk and cookies for Santa. How does that sound?"

Noah did not appear to be all that comforted. "I don't want to see the doctor," he wailed. "Last time I saw a doctor, he poked a hole in my arm and it hurt!" Don could sympathize. He'd been shot, beaten, and severely stabbed but the sight of a needle still made him cringe.

"But Noah, you're such a brave boy," the mother encouraged. "Can you please be a brave boy for mommy right now?" She seemed at a loss.

"But Mommy!" Noah cried. "I _hate_ the doctor!" His voice had increased to a level where it was likely that the entire waiting room could hear. Don knew the real meltdown was yet to come, but it was fast approaching.

"Hey, it's okay, buddy," the older boy suddenly piped up. Don's interest piqued further as he noticed how Noah seemed to instantly calm at the sound of his brother's voice. "This will take no time at all. This time tomorrow, you'll be busy playing with all the cool new stuff Santa's going to bring you." The older boy looked up at his mother, who was smiling encouragingly. "And maybe, if you're really good for the doctor, Santa will bring you something extra. Right, Mom?"

"Could be, Kevin," the mother said mysteriously. "I know that Santa especially loves brave little boys who are good for the doctor. And this being Christmas Eve, it will be fresh in Santa's head to pack something extra in his bag for Noah if he's good for the doctor today."

"Really?" Noah asked, his bright, excited eyes a complete contrast to the sullen expression they had worn seconds before. "Like the new baseball mitt I forgot to put in my letter to Santa?"

"Maybe," Kevin said. "It all depends on if you can be good for the doctor."

A tickle suddenly rose in Don's throat. Not paying attention, he inhaled deeply and let out a deep cough which set off a bomb in his chest. The resulting explosion of pain caused him to inhale sharply which only added to the need to cough. He spent the next few moments alternating between breathing deeply and half-coughing. Soon, he became aware of someone rubbing circles on his back and whispering in his right ear.

"Don. Hey, Don! Are you okay, Don?" Liz's voice asked him.

The coughing subsided enough for Don to lean back, looking to his right to see Liz looking concernedly at him. Breathing deeply, he attempted to smile. "Yeah, I'm okay now." He grunted in pain and rubbed his chest. Don slouched down far enough so he could lean his head back on the chair. He closed his eyes for a moment, willing the pain to go away.

When he opened his eyes, he could see Noah looking at him with wide eyes. Don inwardly cringed, knowing that the boy had already been frightened enough without having to watch a random strange man have a long and painful coughing fit right in front of him. Once he caught Don looking back at him, Noah turned his face away and hid in once again in his mothers chest.

"Shh, it's okay, baby," soothed the young mother. She shot a brief, sympathetic glance up at Don, who quickly mouthed "Sorry". The mother smiled apologetically at him and hugged Noah tighter. "We'll be out of here soon, Noah."

"Hey, buddy," Kevin spoke up again. "You want to play a game to pass the time?" Noah nodded vigorously. "Okay, you pick a game, and I'll play with you."

Noah thought for a moment. "I spy, with my little eye, something......pink!"

Kevin laughed. "Okay. Is it....the ornament on that Christmas tree over there?" Noah shook his head. "The flamingo in that picture?" Noah shook his head again. "How about....that nurse's clothes?" Again, no. "That lady's pants?" Still no. "Her shirt?" Kevin pointed to Nikki's pink shirt, barely visible over the top of her coat.

"You got it!" Noah said. "Okay, your turn!"

Don rolled his head over to grin at Nikki, who chuckled. He turned back to watch the game of I Spy again, fascinated. Don remembered many times, none of them necessarily in the ER waiting room, where he had to keep Charlie entertained or risk his younger brother having a meltdown. He remembered one time in particular in the car, on the way up to the mountains where they spent one spring break. Don was eight at the time; Charlie was three. The Eppes family had only recently discovered Charlie's genius. Don spent an exhausting four hours playing game after game with his brother, knowing that the moment Don stopped playing, the three-year-old would have a fit. Their mother later told Don how much she appreciated his keeping Charlie occupied. Kevin was using the same strategy Don had over thirty years ago, and the agent could see the mother's appreciation written all over her face.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, and Don was in agony. He had long ago begun to think maybe he did have a broken rib or two. His chest felt like it was on fire, and although he didn't mention the increase in pain to either Liz or Nikki, he sensed they knew anyways. He could feel them exchanging worried glances over the top of his head as he sat in the same slouched position he'd been in since the coughing fit.

The family in front of him was still there. Don had watched Kevin play round after round of I Spy with his brother. At some point, Don guessed around five minutes ago, Noah got excited and jarred his injured arm against the arm rest, resulting in about thirty seconds of screaming before it was Kevin, not their mother, who finally calmed him down. Don knew from experience that little brothers often responded to their older brothers before anyone else. Now Noah sat silent, his tear-streaked face expressing his pain and fear.

The waiting room had almost cleared out; it had gone from being nearly full to consisting of Don, Nikki, Liz, the family across the way, and a pregnant woman on the other side of the room. Finally, a nurse came out holding a chart.

"Don Eppes?" she read off the chart. "Sorry about the long wait. We can take you back now."

He lifted his head off the headrest and started to get up, but he stopped. Looking at the family in front of him, a thought occurred to him and he made a quick decision. _Liz and Nikki might kill me for this, but here goes._

"You know, I can wait a little longer," he said. "You should take them back first." The mother whipped her head up, looking at Don in a surprised shock.

The nurse seemed unsure of how to respond. "Um, sorry sir, I have to follow hospital procedure. You were next in line; you have to come back." She didn't seem too sure of what she was saying. Don figured it wasn't often that someone offered up their spot in the ER to someone else. In fact, Don wasn't even sure why he did it himself. It just seemed like the right thing to do.

"So switch us," he argued. "Really, I can wait a little longer. You should take a look at him first." He indicated Noah, who seemed completely oblivious to the conversation around him.

"Well," the nurse stammered. "I suppose I could do that. Um, why don't you guys come back with me now, and I'll get your chart in place." She gestured to the family. The mother, still holding Noah, stood up slowly, as if she were unsure the nurse was talking to her.

Once she was up, and Kevin was next to her, she turned to face Don. "Are you sure about this? You've been waiting much longer that we have, and I can tell you're in pain."

Don nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure. Go, get him checked out; get him home so that you can go back to having a nice Christmas. He needs that more than I do."

Her face broke into a huge smile. "Thank you so much! I can't tell you what this means to us. Merry Christmas!" She began to walk away, following the nurse out of the waiting room.

"Merry Christmas," Don called after them. Once they were gone, he leaned back again in the chair. "Sorry guys," he mumbled to Nikki and Liz.

Liz leaned over into his line of vision and smiled. "That was a really nice thing you just did," she said. "Are you sure you're okay enough to wait a little longer?"

Don smiled. "Well, if I'm not, that will probably mean I'm enough of an emergency that they'll take me back right away, right?" He chuckled. "Nah, I'm just kidding. I'm fine. Don't worry. As long as I sit here and don't move, I should be okay." It was a small lie; the pain was really starting to get to him, but it wasn't so bad that he couldn't handle just sitting for awhile longer. "I'm just sorry you guys have to wait longer."

"That's okay, boss," Nikki said with a grin. "The longer we take here, the more likely Sinclair and Granger are to be finished with paperwork by the time we get back to the office."

Liz laughed. "Hmm, I don't know. It kinda sucks to have to wait here on Christmas Eve with a boss who's too generous for his own good. I think he should reward us by letting us go home after we leave. Besides, it wouldn't hurt David and Colby to have to deal with a little extra paperwork." The three of them shared a quiet laugh.

* * *

9:00 PM  
Eppes Residence  
Pasadena, CA

The bliss he felt now was incomparable to anything he'd ever felt before. Finally, Don was snuggled on the couch, wrapped in a blanket, his head resting in Robin's lap. The throbbing in his chest he had previously suffered from was now reduced to a minor ache. It was warm in Charlie's house, a soothing warmth that Don could never seem to recreate in his own apartment. He was so comfortable that he could stay here all night and be perfectly content. He hoped Robin was comfortable too, so that he really could stay here all night. Everything was just perfect.

He had waited another twenty minutes after Noah, Kevin, and their mother had left the waiting room before he was finally called back. During that time, his pain didn't worsen, but it didn't get better. The chest x-ray revealed that Don did indeed have two broken ribs, which were now wrapped up securely like a gift waiting to be opened on Christmas morning. He knew he was facing several weeks out of the field, but for now he almost didn't care. The doctors would have preferred to have Don spend the night in the hospital, but they understood the agent likely wanted to be home for Christmas so they released him. Nikki and Liz had driven him here just over an hour ago. He was only a few minutes late for dinner, but Alan took one look at him and led him straight to the couch. It was fine, Don hadn't been too hungry; Nikki and Liz stayed and ate his share of the food Alan had prepared, and had left just a few minutes ago. Don figured their biggest motivation for sticking around was a ploy to dump their share of paperwork on poor David and Colby. Once finished with dinner, everyone joined the exhausted agent in the living room.

This was where they now found themselves. Don had fallen asleep, and had just woken up to the peaceful scene. Alan sat in his usual chair fighting his way through a Sudoku puzzle. Charlie and Amita sat on the floor near Don's feet, snuggled together, drinking glasses of eggnog, whispering in each others' ears. Robin, having just noticed Don was awake, smiled down at him and began running her hands through his hair in a soothing manner. Don grinned back up at her, letting out a sigh of contentment.

Don's sigh got Alan's attention, who looked up from his Sudoku book. "How're you feeling, Donnie?"

Don thought for a moment. "Pretty tired. A little sore. But I actually feel pretty good."

Alan rolled his eyes in exasperation, and Charlie suddenly joined the conversation. "You _would_ say that," he chuckled. Everyone else laughed quietly, even Don.

"Can I get you anything?" Robin asked.

Don shook his head. "Nah. Just stay here." _Please don't leave. This is perfect._

"Okay," Robin agreed, and resumed playing with his hair.

Don looked over at Charlie in front of him, laughing quietly at something Amita had said. Don had been thinking a lot about the family from the emergency room and how Kevin and Noah almost exactly mirrored him and Charlie as kids. It took him a few minutes, but he eventually realized that was why the family fascinated him so much. Don could think of countless times when Charlie had been scared or worried and Don had soothed him, much like Kevin had soothed Noah at the hospital. Looking at Charlie now, Don realized the big brother in him still acted in that same role. Now that Charlie was a valuable part of the FBI team, Don still had to protect him. He imagined that in twenty or thirty years, Kevin would still be protecting Noah when they were Don and Charlie's age now. In twenty or thirty years, when Don was sixty or seventy, he would probably still be protecting and comforting his own little brother. It was the nature of the beast.

He pictured the young family now at home, putting a plate of cookies and a glass of milk by the fireplace in anticipation Santa's arrival, possibly accompanied by a tray of carrots and celery for the reindeer. He could imagine the young mother sending her boys to bed, threatening that Santa might not come if they didn't hurry to bed. The boys were likely scampering up the stairs to their rooms, fighting each other to get up there first. Don smiled to himself. Of course, no matter how much he as an older brother protected and comforted Charlie, there was still room for sibling rivalry. Although his and Charlie's rivalry was taken to an entirely different level, it still contained the same teasing and ridiculous fighting as all other siblings. And Don wouldn't have any other way.

He knew he was about the ruin the perfect peace that surrounded them all, but he couldn't resist. He shifted his left foot, letting it lightly nudge Charlie's head. The younger brother looked up in mock offense.

"Hey, watch it, Donald!" Charlie protested. "That was so rude."

"I'm just making sure to keep you in line, Chuck," Don shot back. "No need to get all riled up."

"Don't call me Chuck."

"Well, don't call me Donald."

"You know, if you weren't injured," Charlie began, "I would make you pay for that."

"Oh yeah?" Don came back. "I'd like to see you try. I could see it, the geeky little math nerd up against his big, bad FBI agent brother. That would work _real_ well."

"Boys," Alan chided without looking up. "How old are we again? You're acting like a bunch of five-year-olds."

Don grinned. He looked at Charlie, who was grinning back. Robin and Amita were both shaking with silent laughter. Don decided to give it a rest, knowing Alan wouldn't hesitate to send them both upstairs to bed, even though he and Charlie were thirty-nine and thirty-four, respectively.

_Oh yeah,_ Don thought to himself. _This night couldn't get any better than this moment, right now._

THE END

* * *

Hope you liked. I tried to keep it as realistic as possible, which is why Robin makes an appearance even though I can't stand her. If this actually happened, she'd most likely be there, so here she is. I hope the hospital procedures are realistic enough, I have no idea if any of that actually happens. If not, sorry, and you can tell me my mistakes! Merry Christmas, everyone!


End file.
